MPG Question.........

[Rocker1]

Hello everyone, what a great website!

Eight months ago, I bought a 2004 Explorer 4x4 V6. Now, i'm about to complain and ask for suggestion about my gas mileage . For the record, I have ALWAYS owned trucks and I do know when I bought this truck I wasn't going to get 30 MPG . I have had a 1984 Ford Bronco with a V8 and a leaky carb that got better MPG then this Explorer. I have a friend with an Expedition with a V8, who is getting 13 MPG city.
I have not had better than 12.8 MPG, I owned that up to the break-in period. Now I have 7500 miles on it and the past eight weeks I have been getting 10.3 MPG :fire: . What I'm I driving, a tank? I had to take it to Ford for a recall(they had to add transmittion fluid), while there, I told the service manager about my MPG. He said he has an F150 with a V8 and gets 15 MPG city. He asked if any engine lights have lit up, I told him no, nothing. He said, well break in is usually 5000 miles, I said Okay, I have 7500 miles on it! He said sometimes the break in is 10000 miles :fire: (which is it? 5000 or 10000 miles?). He told me to bring it back after 10000 miles if I still get crappy MPG. I think the little pecker head blew me off!

What do you guys think??

 

[cybercreeper]

yeap he blew you off. i have a V6 OHV '96 limited with 105,000 miles on it and get 16mpg in the city...wish i could help.

 

[briwayjones]

We've had 5 v6 Explorers that have gotten from 20 up to 25 MPG. They've all been manual transmissions though which helps. Most of our X's have gotten better MPG the more miles you get on them. I've had them go up 1-2 MPG up around 60,000-70,000m even. But I agree you should be getting better mileage than that even if it isn't broken in. Do you have a really heavy foot?

 

[aldive]

First of all, the mileage you are getting is definately way below normal.

Have you checked the tire air pressure? Have you done any highway driving to be able to determine that mileage? Are you an aggressive driver?

There are modifications that can be very helpful in improving mileage, however, before you attempt this rout, I think you have to determine why this mileage is poor.

Take a look at http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44372&highlight=quest

Good luck ....

 

[pear]

Mpg

I have a 99 Eddie Bauer with 130,000 miles, as stock as it can be. I just drove from Vienna, WV to Hot Springs AR, aprox., 850 miles one-way, and averaged as much as 23.6 MPG on one tank full, and as low as 21.3 MPG on one tank. Picked up an aluminum dog trailer, and returned to WV. I got as low as 16.8 MPG and as high as 17.5 MPG on the return trip. The wind was really bad on the return trip, (cross and head, almost never tail wind). I did as close as the cruise control would keep it, the exact posted speed every mile of the way. That being nearly always 65 and 70 MPH. I don't know much about these 3rd Gen "X's" but I'd say you have a problem.

 

[Rocker1]

First of all, the mileage you are getting is definately way below normal.

Have you checked the tire air pressure? Have you done any highway driving to be able to determine that mileage? Are you an aggressive driver?

There are modifications that can be very helpful in improving mileage, however, before you attempt this rout, I think you have to determine why this mileage is poor.

Take a look at http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44372&highlight=quest

Good luck ....

Tire pressure is correct. I'm not an aggressive driver, in fact, I've been paying close attention to my driving habits to try for better mileage.

I have been going by the MPG indicator on the dash, which the service manager said is accurate. What is the most accurate way to calculate MPG manually? I get about 180 miles per tank of gas.

I'm actually driving down to Florida in a few weeks, if there is a problem with the Explorer, I'd like to get it fixed before I leave.

 

[stubborn1]

Another thing to consider to is that northern climates use a "winter blend" of gasoline this time of year. I usually average about 2 MPG less in winter than I do in summer.

Even if this was the case, your mileage still sucks

 

[aldive]

I have been going by the MPG indicator on the dash, which the service manager said is accurate. What is the most accurate way to calculate MPG manually?

I get about 180 miles per tank of gas.

The "only" way to measure MPG is to divide the number of miles traveled ( from odometer or GPS ) by the number of gallons of gas used.

180 miles per tank indicates that something is askew.

 

[RIKK03]

I have an '03 Limited and I get 16-17 MPG mix city/highway driving. I tracked my gas mileage through gasbuddy.com.

 

[amystours]

yucky!

Ew. That's terrible, and I know nobody wants to hear this, but with gas prices up, that sucks all the more! I drove to Fort Worth and back last week to go pick up a puppy (approx. 4.5 hour trip one way), and my 92 EB got 20 mpg. I thought that was excellent, considering the new ones have 19 and 21 on the window sticker. I did my city mileage at a later date, and got 18. Best of luck in finding your problem, though! By the way, I also divided my miles by the number of gallons on a fill up. My gas gauge doesn't work, so I have a tendancy to really keep an eye on the mileage. When it hits 300, that's usually when I fill it up and do my math.
~~Amy~~

 

[DeRocha]

I wouldn't trust the computer until you manually confirmed it. Fill up at the gas station and then re-set the trip odometer to zero. On The next fill up record the amount of gas needed along with your trip odometer reading. Divide the trip odometer mileage by the gallons you just put in and you will have your average miles per gallon. Winter blend gas goes lower mileage by a 1-2mpg, but I'd say 15+ is average.

 

[pm]

I have a friend who got a new mustang every year. It usually took about 12,000-15,000 before he saw a jump to what his gas milage is suppose to be. Also alot of these people that are getting 20 mpg are driving 2wd's. I have a 95 and only get 13 maybe.

 

[old mechanic]

Most Ex's suck in the gas mileage department but yours seems worse than average from what I have seen. AlDive has done some great mods but I don't think you should need all those mods to get some decient mileage with a brand new EX.

 

[Ray Lobato]

What size tires are you running and what gear ratio do you have?

 

[Rocker1]

What size tires are you running and what gear ratio do you have?

It's a stock Explorer Eddie Bauer 4X4, not sure of exact tire size, but they are factory.

 

[Mbrooks420]

10 mpg is rediculous. I get that while plowing, with a v8, and driving aggressively.

 

[Ray Lobato]

It's a stock Explorer Eddie Bauer 4X4, not sure of exact tire size, but they are factory.

Not all Explorers have the same gear ratio. You need to check the drivers side door(by the door latch) for a tag that gives you the axle code, i.e. D4,D2 something like that. also not all Explorers have the same tires. Please give me the size.

 

[97BlackX5.0]

i have a v8 with 133k on it and im getting around 12.... with lots of idling......dont know what to tell you./... wish i could make mine better...

 

[jayhawkexplorer]

One thing that could be lowering the number a bit: are you constantly running the truck on the defrost/lower air setting? This uses the A/C and can contribute to a small loss in mileage. But it sounds like you've got more serious issues then just that.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I was under the impression the ac pump ran in all modes except floor only. I thought for sure I read that on here somewhere, but I have definately been wrong before.